Tongue-cleaning device



0. L. LEWIS v TONGUE CLEANING DEVICE April 14, 1925.

Filed Sent. 19 1921 mvnnon OSCAR L.LEW!S ATIORNEYI Patented Apr. 14, 1925.

UNITED STATES OSCAR L. LEVTIS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TONGUE-CLEANING DEVIC Application filed September 19, 1921. Serial No. 501,787.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Oscar: L. Lnwrs. a citizen of the United States of America, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, United States of America, have invented a certain new and useful Tongue- Cleaning Device, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable anyone skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

The human tongue frequently becomes coated, not only on account of secretions resulting from indigestion and other causes, but also by particles of food and pus from the teeth when they are aliected by pyorrhr-a or similar diseases.

The object of my invention is to provide a suitable instrument for mechanically removing these deleterious substances from the tongue, and preventing their absorption or passage into the alimentary canal. T his, I accomplish, by providing an instrument having a scraping blade of proper form and a handle arranged in relation to the blade so that it may be readily held in the proper position to perform the scraping operation.

In the accompanying drawii'igs which illustrate one form of instrument made in accordance with my invention, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the instrument in position for use, Figure 2 is aplan view looking at the edge of the flattened portion 01'? the handle, Figure 3 is a top plan view of the instrument in the position shown in Figure 1, Figure 4 is an enlarged section taken on the line l-A of Figure 1, Figure 5 is an enlarged section taken on the line of Figure l and Figure (5 is aview on a reduced scale taken at right angles to Figure 2.

My instrument consists of a scraping blade 10 and a handle 11 which is provided 7 and is located laterally of any vertical pl with a flattened gripping portion 12. The blade 10 is preferably longitudinally curved as best shown in Figure 3 and has in Figure 1 its lower scraping edge 13 lying substantially in a single plane as indicated. The face of the blade is also preferably slightly concave in vertical section as shown at 1%. in Figure The handle 11 is arranged so that when the blade 10 is in the proper position for operation of scraping the tongue, the said handle will slope downwardly as shown in Figure l and forwardly as shown in Figure 3 and the flattened p01.-ion 13 is inclined to the vertical plane of the blade as shown in Figure 5. Thus when the blade is grasped in the hand with the thumb and little finger resting against the back of the flattened portion 12 and the first, second, and third lingers bearing upon the front face of said flattened portion, the blade 10 will naturally be held in the proper position shown in Figure 1 so that itmay be readily and naturally used to remove thu foreign substances from the tongue.

lVhile my instrument may be made of any suitable material I prefer to form it of tool steel or Liberty silver and plate it with gold or silver, which metals will not be atiected by the secretions oi the mouth.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe Unitcd States is:

In a device of the class described, the combination with a concave scraping blade having substantially all of its scraping edge in a single plane, and a handle carrying said blade and so related thereto that when the device is in operative position the handle projects downwardly and forwardly no extending in the direction of travel of the blade and passing through the blade.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and aflixed my seal.

OSCAR L. Lilli S. 

